Ten Books You Must Read

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
If you have yet to read this book in your academic career I ask you to first go to your English teachers and smack them, then proceed to your nearest book store or library and pick up a copy with decent sized font. This is a novel that has such humor and wit that it is impossible to dislike it. There are so many characters that appeal to any time period within this work that you can’t help but fall in love with them. The relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy is an incredible one that will stay with you through out your life. This is story line is easily my favorite of all time. I can’t express to you how humorous, romantic, shocking, and interesting this story is.

2. The Mummy (or Ramses the Damned) by Anne Rice
This has to be my favorite non-vampire Anne Rice novel. It has such an amazing concept of this Egyptian Pharaoh. The first scene where the main character sees Ramses for the first time is so moving; it brought a very vivid picture to my mind as if I were watching a movie instead of reading a book. There is a very well placed plot twist that I didn’t see coming. I can’t divulge to much about the plot or the characters without giving away too much of the shocking and well thought out twists so I can only really tell you that even if you don’t like Anne Rice this book is an amazing, fast paced read. Even if you aren’t into Anne Rice’s style of writing I still think you will like this book because it’s very different from her other plots. Rice does a really amazing job on this story line; I actually wish she had continued with a sequel.

3. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
What an amazing story. The imagery involved with this story takes the reader straight to the Ozark Mountains with a young country boy and his two hound dogs. This is a heartfelt story about courage learning things from unexpected places, having faith in yourself and those closest to you. The first chapter of this book, I feel, is the best chapter I’ve ever read in my entire life. It starts with a middle-aged man remembering and he tells you a story filled with some of the most tragic and happy times. I remember reading this book for the first time, and at a certain part of the plot I burst into tears in the middle of my English class. It is very moving and I really suggest you read it.

4. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
This is the first in the Vampire Chronicles and I must say that Louis is one of Anne’s most complex characters. She does a wonderful job with New Orleans and the feeling of Louis loneliness. In this story you will find a sad depressed immortal who is desperately in love with mortality and the beauty it holds. I must say however, that Anne’s character Claudia will cause you to hate a child like you’ve never hated any one before because of the acts she performs. This novel, like all of Anne’s novels, will fly by for the most part but has some slow parts. It is definitely worth the read. With this one novel, Anne Rice has made it very clear to me that Gothic Novels are by far my favorite.

5. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
I admit that I only picked up this novel because I needed it for a summer project for my Advanced English class, but from the very first pages Dumas captured me and immediately made me want to follow his characters to the end. Through hardships and a few very disturbing events I followed this most famous character through his journey towards revenge. Through this novel you will see into many prominent types of people and their minds. The Count of Monte Cristo has most definitely stood the test of time. This is a fast read and a very well written piece. To quote the back of the copy of this book that I own “The greatest tale of betrayal, adventure and revenge ever written.”

6. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
In her first vampire novel Anne makes us loath Lestat for his cocky disregard for Louis feelings, however in this next installment in the Vampire Chronicles I must say she makes us fall in love with him. From the way Lestat is changed and given the “dark gift” to the companions he has all through his journey, it is easy to see why Anne Rice makes Lestat the key vampire in her novels. Lestat will steal your heart and as the “brat prince” makes his way through France acting dancing and roaming through the night you will find yourself wishing that such an elegant creature did exist instead of only being able to meet him in your mind. “His is a mesmerizing story-passionate, complex, and thrilling”.

7. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
First I must say that this book is not for every reader. It is a hard read and sometimes a little confusing because it is a translation from 1850’s French so you must really love to read and love classic literature to love this book. It is an important novel because it was the first large-scale social novel that dealt with the peasants that made up large percentages of many European countries. There isn’t much I can say about it except that if you like to read classic literature and you like to read novels that changed the way other authors write then you should pick this book up and read what its pages offer.

8. Violin by Anne Rice
This is really a fast read and will only take speedy readers a day to finish and slow readers maybe at the very most a week to finish. It is a really emotional story of a ghost and how he shows his story to a woman through visions. Something so tragic happens to this ghost Stefan that the first time I read it I actually cried out in horror that something so cruel and unjust could ever happen to a human. It is a sort of double story one of Stefan the violinist and one of Triana the woman who is drawn to him. It’s quite good and I recommend it to everyone.

9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
This novel I must warn you is a little slow and redundant in the first chapters but after that the story is amazing. I actually read it all in one night because I was so entranced by the Gothic feel of the novel. I can’t tell you too much about this story line because there is one huge twist which, if spoiled, would ruin the novel for you. You must take my advice and read this book, but another warning DO NOT read the back cover or inside sleeve for a summary because it WILL most likely ruin the plot twist. I would also recommend that you get a decent sized font when reading this book because reading small font with the type of language Brontë uses would be tiring for most readers. Struggle through the first chapters and then dive head first into a house of secrets and a man who is more than he seems.

10. Blood and Gold by Anne Rice
This is the story of Marius. The fact that Marius is my favorite of all Rice’s vampires makes me biased to this book. I must say that this Romans story is unlike any of the others, his burdens are heavy and his build is beautiful. My personal favorite part is Marius’ relationship with Botticelli who happens to be my favorite artist. Marius is an artist, a Roman Senator, a perfect marble sculpture, a teacher, a keeper, a lover, and most importantly a vampire. (If you like this novel then I suggest you read The Vampire Armand because it has a lot of Marius, but I didn’t put it on her because it has a lot of….vampire/boy moments haha)

If you decide to read any of these books I would love to hear what you thought of them.

(I'm not a writer so if I made any horrific grammatical errors please forgive me)